JP vs KH2

[keke]

hello ppl... i am planning to get guitar soon and i need your help...

i was gonna get a kh2 (esp) but happened to drop and this EBsite...

The JP looks amazing and suits my style of playing.... i haven't acctually tried one yet.... i heard that they are very easy to play but personally i do not like wide and thick necks... is there a lot of difference from the KH2?

i also so many forums concerning problems of JP guitar... is it really true?

 

[Jimi D]

Hi keke,

The JP neck is much like JP's old Ibanez signature neck, and probably very similar to the KH2's (though I haven't actually played a KH2, I have played some ESPs, like the M1 and M2). Anyway, it's pretty much a wide/thin profile on the Petrucci. Most people who play it seem to love it.

As to "problems" with the Petrucci, I'm unaware of any, excepting the issue of finish cracks at the neck pocket, which seems to me to have been largely blown out of proportion. At any rate, your best bet is to play one before you decide, or if that's impossible and you want to try the Petrucci, buy one from a store that accepts returns so you can send it back if it's not for you.

 

[puppiesonacid]

in my hands the neck is very comfortable and extremely easy to play. The smoothness of the neck further adds to the comfort. Be sure to try one out though... the guitar isnt for everybody. its contours and shape can be hard for some to get used to. I really like it though.

If your a tuning freak like me you might get a little hung up on the fact that unlike a floyd rose equipped guitar... the JP does go out of tune with frequent use... at least this is what im noticing with mine. i mean floyds need tuning to but not after everytime you dive!!! Idk why though.. .the neck seems to straight and having the right amount of relief and fall away, wierd huh? I have yet to put some lube in the string slots on the nut though so maybe this is all it needs to stay in tune consistently. Not dissing EB... I seem to have gotten one that could have been looked at one more time before going out. anways... just giving you an honest user opinion about the guitar. But if i were to have to choose between the KH2 and the EBMM JPM i would go with the JP hands down. Its just a better guitar for around the same amount of money.
hope this helps

God bless,

Tony

 

[OrangeChannel]

Stretch the strings out!

The ESP to me seems a little more clunky neckwise, EMG's imho are kinda soulless (sorry guys don't kill me for that one), and I was never a fan of the Floyd. The JP's trem is awesome, I myself haven't had tuning problems with the ones I've played. Even after severe trem use and doing the Ol' Bar Flutter (which is awesome considering it's not a Floyd). My first owned Petrrucci is on it's way, and as soon as I eliminate more gear, a 2nd will be added. Oh and the EBMM finishes are like candy, so good you could eat 'em, beats the basic black on the ESP anytime. Why play a Japanese axe when you can play an American made one?

 

[keke]

thanx for ur help guys....

i'll refer to ur advice before i get one..

 

[OrangeChannel]

Actually Tony, the KH's usually cost more (I'm comparing similar appointments, ie. magnetics only.) than the JP's. Actually a fully equipped JP will still run less. IF you'd been to Metallica's Jump in the Studio section of their website while they recorded ST Anger, you'd see a white JP that belonged to Kirk (with EMG's in it ) sitting on a stand in the control room, he may have even played it in one of the clips I saw.

 

[DistVibrations]

i have no tunning problems with my petrucci at all the thing never goes out of tune ever!!

 

[OrangeChannel]

DistVibrations, you still string it as std w/ 10's?

 

[rackmore5]

This is a tough one

I have a JP6 and a 63' Firebird. My son plays a KH2 and a JP7. These are two great guitars. They both play great . . the KH2 neck is a bit wider . . that didn;t bother me because the firbird neck is wider too. . .

the real difference comes down to the tremelo .. i am not a floyd fan . . oddly enough the only guitar that i've played that reliably stayed in tune with a floyd is my son's KH2! but in general i would have to pick the JP tremelo. The other difference are the pickups . . you either love EMGs or you don't. . . being a bit old school myself . . i find the JP pickups a bit harsh . . my son . . on the other hand loves them . . . you have to listen to them with YOUR rig.

One thing with the JP . . check the neck . . if it's highly figured . . it may be really beautiful . . but it will not be stable. Even if it plays nice in the store . . . look for one that IS NOT figured no matter how nice it looks

 

[koogie2k]

I have tried the KH2. Not the LTD, the actual sig model. Nice guitar, sounds good, and seems built fairly well. We all know I have two JPs. The reason of course is the "feel". Much better feel for me as I am very picky about the neck feel. I have not had any tuning issues, cracks in the finish, or anything else. My problem is only I can't play as good as the guitars namesake (John himself). I always say, play until you find the one the makes you quiver in your boots. I am still negotiating for another one and will always be a EBMM JP player.

 

[Jimi D]

Re: This is a tough one

One thing with the JP . . check the neck . . if it's highly figured . . it may be really beautiful . . but it will not be stable. Even if it plays nice in the store . . . look for one that IS NOT figured no matter how nice it looks

I don't know about this... I have a mix of highly figured and plain necks on my EB/MM guitars, and in no way are the highly figured necks any "less stable" than the plain-ish ones. I live in Ottawa, where the annual climatic extremes extend from about -40 to 110 degrees Farenheit, so my necks are exposed to some serious changes, and do need to be tweaked, but they all respond well to truss-rod adjustments when required, and all are surprisingly solid considering they are essentially "unfinished". Granted, I don't have a Petrucci (yet), and the JP neck is thinner than an Axis or AL neck, but I personally don't subscribe to the "figured necks are funky" theory at all... of course, that's just my 2¢, ymmv, wtfdik, & etc...

 

[rackmore5]

again i may be a bit old school here . . . but my firebird never needs tweeking . . i have a $200 epiphone that needs an adjustment maybe once every three years. my JP6 was out of whack everyother week . . i mean un playable out of whack . . EB has been cool enought to replace the neck . . the conclusion was that with a highly figured neck . . . that perhaps hasn't had the years to dry out like my firebird . . there is a tendency to be a bit unstable. . . perhaps your figured necks are on older guitars?

i guess i just don;t see neck adjustment as a 'regular' maintainence issue on a fine instrument unless you change string gauge or tremelo response etc.

 

[zyx345]

I tried a KH-2 at Guitar Center. I found the neck to be slimmer than the JP. To my ears the tone was brighter than the JP as well, but that may be due to the dual EMG 81s. I much prefer the JP neck but I liked the Floyd better than the JP bridge.

I currently own a JP6 & a PRS Custom 22. If you are concerned about stress cracks the KH-2 is a neck through which I believe is less prone to this problem.

My JP developed a stress crack about the size of a pen tip shorly after I got it. Although annoying it does not affect the sound.

 

[Jimi D]

i guess i just don;t see neck adjustment as a 'regular' maintainence issue on a fine instrument unless you change string gauge or tremelo response etc.

Well, my experience is almost the polar opposite of yours... Where I live, if you don't adjust your truss rod regularly, you're neck and setup will be completely out of whack in one season... For instance, I can leave my home that is a constant 70 degrees and 40% humidity in the winter, drive through a blizzard to some bar where there's a fireplace in the corner drying the place out and the stage is by a door that's kept open a crack all night "for the fresh air"... Or, I'll run off to an outdoor wedding party in early August where the temperature's a balmy 100 degrees in the shade, and there's a humidex warning in effect because the ambiant humidity is heavy enough to make it feel like 120, and I stand up and sweat all over the guitar for four hours... Frankly, there's no guitar I've ever used with the exception of my Parkers that won't react to these kinds of changes. I've owned and played out Les Pauls, Ibanez Jems, Fender Strats and Teles, and quite a few others, and they all reacted the same to the climatic extremes we get around here - they all needed adjustment; some more than others, sure, but none was immune... In fact, many of my guitarist friends don't even bother keeping their truss-rod covers on their guitars - they just unscrew 'em and toss 'em in the guitar case. Anyway, EB/MM necks are essentially unfinished, which means the wood is much more susceptible to changes in temperature and humidity than on a finished neck, which is perhaps why your Epi and Firebird necks don't need as much adjustment. My absolute killer flame neck is on a 2002 Axis of mine, so it's not an older guitar. But I'm very, very picky about my setups, and I know when my relief is a slight bit out, and immediately adjust the neck accordingly. It's one of the reasons I love EB/MM guitars so - the adjustments are easy to make and the truss-rod is a very effect, responsive design.

 

[Warg Master]

I traded my KH-2 away because my JP6 was waaaay better. I might get another.

 

[JDouglee]

If your a tuning freak like me you might get a little hung up on the fact that unlike a floyd rose equipped guitar... the JP does go out of tune with frequent use... at least this is what im noticing with mine. i mean floyds need tuning to but not after everytime you dive!!! Idk why though.. .the neck seems to straight and having the right amount of relief and fall away, wierd huh? I have yet to put some lube in the string slots on the nut though so maybe this is all it needs to stay in tune consistently.

If you're retuning after every dive, you need some lube!!

I use 3 in One oil, no problems even on the 7 string. Other guys use the Nut Slick stuff...

 

[SGMan88]

The JP is absolutely amazing, but before you make your decision you need to try it out, because it isn't for everyone